Skip to content


Bet on More Convergence

leadimage

11/18/09 Marco Island, Florida – In the last few weeks, we’ve seen real breakthroughs in the convergence — the integration of computing devices and functions.

Not the least was the announcement by Google’s YouTube that it is adding full high-definition 1080p streaming. This is higher quality than cable companies provide. So what does it mean? It means, among other things, that the networks are now in full panic mode. Already, the trickle of cable television cancellations has begun as users hook computers and media players to HD screens. Up to now, however, the trend has been limited largely to the more technically sophisticated. That’s changing.

True HD streaming and downloading have been available for some time on sites less well known than YouTube. My kids, for example, watch their favorite programs online at sites like Hulu.com, even though they could watch them on our rarely used television. When a feature comes to an important well-known site like YouTube, however, it has become mainstream…

You, as an investor, need to be aware of what’s going on. And frankly, most of my friends my age simply aren’t. Moreover, you shouldn’t be so naïve as to think that it is only hackers who are putting these alternative distribution channels in place. If you think Google founders Larry Page and Sergey Brin don’t know that they’re helping consumers circumvent the old distribution channels, I’d like to talk to you about some swampland in Florida…

Companies and institutions once thought to be permanent parts of the financial landscape are disintegrating. Others are arising. The entertainment and news industries are reeling from the impact of ‘the network’ while the entire functioning of marketing and advertising is mutating as the Net displaces obsolete communications industries.

Author Image for Patrick Cox

Patrick Cox

Patrick Cox has lived deep inside the world of transformative technologies for over 25 years. In the 1980s, he worked in computer software development and manufacturing. By the mid-1990s, he worked as a consultant for Netscape — the company that handled 90% of all Internet browsing traffic at the time. InfoWorld and USA Today have featured Patrick’s research many times. He’s also appeared on Crossfire and Nightline. This expertise bought him to Agora Financial, where he now heads Breakthrough Technology Alert, the only place you’ll find the truly transformational technologies that offer exponential gains.

The articles and commentary featured on the Daily Reckoning are presented by Agora Financial. Additional market commentary is available through The 5Min Forecast .

Sign Up for The Daily Reckoning e-letter and receive a copy of Bill Bonner's The Trade of The Decade report… at NO CHARGE.

  

We Will Not Share Your Email.
We Value Your Privacy.

Other Daily Reckoning Articles:


0 Responses

Some HTML is OK

(never shared)

or, reply to this post via trackback. Our Comment Policy.